Although it is good to note that overall crime rates have been falling for some time, every crime that occurs causes misery and loss to victims. From my own long experience of the system, I have been campaigning to improve our response to criminality and the need to prevent crime from happening in the first place.
As a local Member of Parliament and Justice Secretary, I have been working on the Government’s Beating Crime Plan, published a few days ago, which sets out our strategy for reducing crime and ensuring that everyone has the security and confidence that comes from having safer streets.
The Beating Crime Plan sets out preventative and punitive measures to make our streets safer and builds on existing funding, including the £70 million for the Safer Streets Fund and £105.5 million for Violence Reduction Units.
This plan gives the law-abiding majority the respect and support they need and deserve should they fall victim to any crime. It also sends a very clear message to criminals – be they fraudsters, rapists, vandals or the vile individuals who prey on young children to run County Lines gangs – that we are coming for you.
Since I came to office two years ago, I have been spearheading changes to the sentencing and release framework which will ensure offenders serve sentences that better reflect the severity of their crimes. We will also improve security in prisons, creating the control and order necessary to reform and rehabilitate offenders.
We will do more to break the cycle of repeat offending, making sure that prison leavers have the foundations they need to turn their backs on crime and certainty that failing to do so will have swift and certain consequences.
You can read the full Beating Crime Plan here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beating-crime-plan?fbclid=IwAR21-mdK0pvLW0D9FlqTahp5d8KsE6Bj44GDraAscpuUAPW0lnAenzhM7pE.
It is also not too late to let me know your views on how we can better keep our local community safe by completing my Public Safety Survey via: https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/PublicSafetySurvey.
Swindon Borough Council has prepared a draft Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Strategy and is now seeking views on the proposals identified to expand the network across the Borough to 2030.
The strategy represents a long-term, strategic approach to meet the infrastructure required under the Government’s ambitious to phase out the scale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.
The Council is encouraging residents to view and comment on the draft Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Strategy. The consultation is open for 8 weeks and responses will be accepted up to 5pm on Monday 27th September 2021.
You can view and comment on the Strategy via: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20019/consultations_engagement_and_surveys/1209/draft_electric_vehicle_chargepoint_strategy.
Last week was historic for Swindon as the last car rolled off the production line at Honda. Many Honda workers are our friends and fellow residents, and I have been thinking of them as they reach the end of an era and have been making big decisions about their next steps. The work of the Task Force has helped chart a way forward for many and it is good news that the site will be redeveloped, creating more future job opportunities. We will hear more news about Pannatoni’s exciting plans for the Honda site in the months ahead, as Swindon embarks on a new chapter in our history.
